A man was allegedly beaten to death after being accused of theft at a school ground in Chattogram’s Kotwali area on Sunday, sparking protests and a standoff between locals and police.
The deceased was identified as Zainal, 27, son of the late Dulal of Dhaniyalapara’s Choto Mosque area under Double Mooring Police Station.
According to witnesses, Zainal was detained around 10am at the Railway Public High School field on suspicion of theft.
Locals alleged that security personnel at the school assaulted him after detaining him.
He reportedly died during the beating, sparking anger among residents and relatives.
After receiving information about the incident, several teams from Kotwali Police Station rushed to the scene and attempted to recover the body.
However, family members of the deceased and local residents obstructed the move and surrounded a police patrol vehicle in protest.
“If he had committed theft, he should have been handed over to the police. Nobody has the right to take the law into their own hands,” a woman present at the scene told reporters.
Another witness alleged that the victim was subjected to severe physical torture and was even given electric shocks.
“He was asking for water while in critical condition, but nobody allowed him to have any,” the witness claimed.
Relatives of the deceased, who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, accused those involved of killing Zainal under the pretext of theft and demanded their immediate arrest.
They also said they would not allow authorities to remove the body until assurances were given that those responsible would be brought to justice.
Senior officials of Kotwali Police Station later visited the area and held discussions with protesters in an effort to calm tensions.
Police said they intended to send the body for an autopsy and assured residents that the incident would be investigated and legal action taken against anyone found responsible.
Despite repeated efforts, police were unable to remove the body for several hours due to resistance from protesters.
The situation remained tense in the area at the time of filing this report.
Additional police personnel have been deployed around the Railway Public High School premises, while authorities continue efforts to restore normalcy through dialogue with local residents.
